Takanohana Kenshi
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Mitsuru Hanada | |
| Date of birth | February 19, 1950 | |
| Place of birth | Aomori, Japan | |
| Date of death | May 30, 2005 (aged 55) | |
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 111⁄2 in) | |
| Weight | 115 kg (250 lb/18.1 st) | |
| Career* | ||
| Heya | Futagoyama | |
| Record | 726-490-58 | |
| Debut | May, 1965 | |
| Highest rank | Ozeki (November 1972) | |
| Retired | January 1981 | |
| Yusho | 2 (Makuuchi) 2 (Juryo) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
|
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (3) Fighting Spirit (2) Technique (4) |
|
| Gold stars | 1 | |
|
* Career information is correct as of January 2007. |
||
Takanohana Kenshi 貴ノ花健士 (born Hanada Mitsuru; February 19, 1950 - May 30, 2005) was a sumo wrestler from Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki, which he held for fifty tournaments. As an active rikishi he was extremely popular and was nicknamed the "prince of sumo" due to his good looks and relatively slim build. He was the father of Wakanohana Masaru and Takanohana Koji, and as head of the Futagoyama stable coached both of them to the yokozuna rank.
Contents |
[edit] Career
He had been a champion swimmer while at school, but did not think he could make a living out of it. He was determined to join professional sumo, in spite of some opposition from his family.[1] He began his career in the spring of 1965, joining Futagoyama stable which had been set up his elder brother, former yokozuna Wakanohana Kanji I, three years previously. He initially fought under his own surname of Hanada. He reached the top makuuchi division in November 1968 at the age of just 18, the youngest ever at the time (the record is now held by his son Takanohana). He weighed barely 100kg, and would remain one of the lightest men in the top division for the rest of his career. He adopted the shikona of Takanohana in 1969. He was the last man to beat yokozuna Taiho, in May 1971. As he rose up the rankings he collected nine special prizes, including four prestigious Ginosho, or Technique Awards.
After finishing as runner-up in consecutive tournaments in May and July 1972 he reached sumo's second highest rank of ozeki in November 1972. He was promoted at the same time as his friend and rival Wajima, who quickly went on to be promoted to yokozuna. Takanohana's progress was slower, but he did win two top division tournament (or honbasho) championships in March and September 1975, each time delighting the crowds by defeating the giant yokozuna Kitanoumi in a playoff. He and Wakanohana were the first brothers ever to each win a top division tournament title. However he was ultimately unable to defeat Kitanoumi or Wajima on a regular basis and so never made the yokozuna rank.[1] Nevertheless, he was an ozeki for fifty tournaments, corresponding to over eight years in the rank. This was a record until July 2007 when it was broken by Chiyotaikai. He was a bigger crowd attraction than some yokozuna.[1]
By the early 1980s he was finding it harder to hold onto his rank, and after losing to the rising star Chiyonofuji twice in a row in September and November 1980, he decided the time was right to retire.
[edit] After retirement
After retiring from sumo in January 1981, he took the name Fujishima (currently owned by former ozeki Musoyama) and established the Fujishima stable in 1982, which grew to be one of the most powerful in terms of top makuuchi ranked wrestlers. When his elder brother retired as a stablemaster in 1993 he inherited the name Futagoyama and led the merged Futagoyama stable, which had one quarter of all the top ranked rikishi in it at one point, including two yokozuna, an ozeki and many others regularly in the junior sanyaku ranks. During this time it was undoubtedly the most powerful stable the sumo world has seen in the postwar period. He oversaw the promotion of both of his sons to yokozuna, the first time ever that two siblings have held sumo's highest rank.
He was married in 1970 to a former actress and beauty queen, Fujita Noriko, who was once "Miss Ōita Prefecture."[1] They were divorced in 2001.
His health began to decline in 2003, and he withdrew from his duties in the Sumo Association. He passed on control of Futagoyama stable to his son Takanohana in January 2004, and made his last public appearance in January 2005 at the retirement ceremony of one of his former wrestlers, Takanonami.[2]
In February of 2005, his son publicly announced that his father was struggling with mouth cancer. He underwent extensive treatment, but no recovery was possible, and on 30 May 2005, he succumbed to the disease at the age of 55.
[edit] Top division record
| January Hatsu basho, Tokyo |
March Haru basho, Osaka |
May Natsu basho, Tokyo |
July Nagoya basho, Nagoya |
September Aki basho, Tokyo |
November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | x | x | x | x | x | East Maegashira #13 8–7 |
| 1969 | West Maegashira #11 7–8 |
East Maegashira #12 0–8–7 |
(Jūryō) | (Jūryō) | (Jūryō) | (Jūryō) |
| 1970 | West Maegashira #9 10–5 |
East Maegashira #2 3–12 |
West Maegashira #11 8–7 |
East Maegashira #7 11–4 |
West Komusubi 9–6 O |
West Sekiwake 7–8 |
| 1971 | East Komusubi 2–4–9 |
East Maegashira #5 9–6 T |
West Komusubi 8–7 O |
East Komusubi 8–7 O |
West Sekiwake 9–6 T |
East Sekiwake 8–7 |
| 1972 | West Sekiwake 6–9 |
West Maegashira #1 10–5 ★ |
East Komusubi 11–4 T |
West Sekiwake 12–3 TF |
East Sekiwake 10–5 F |
West Ōzeki 9–6 |
| 1973 | West Ōzeki 8–7 |
East Ōzeki 0–3–12 |
West Ōzeki 8–7 |
West Ōzeki 8–7 |
East Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 9–6 |
| 1974 | East Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 10–5 |
West Ōzeki 2–4–9 |
West Ōzeki 10–5 |
East Ōzeki 8–7 |
East Ōzeki 11–4 |
| 1975 | East Ōzeki 10–5 |
East Ōzeki 13–2 |
East Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 0–4–11 |
West Ōzeki 12–3 |
East Ōzeki 8–7 |
| 1976 | West Ōzeki 9–6 |
East Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 10–5 |
East Ōzeki 9–6 |
East Ōzeki 10–5 |
East Ōzeki 9–6 |
| 1977 | West Ōzeki 12–3 |
East Ōzeki 13–2 |
East Ōzeki 10–5 |
West Ōzeki 8–7 |
East Ōzeki 10–5 |
East Ōzeki 10–5 |
| 1978 | West Ōzeki 0–5–10 |
West Ōzeki 8–7 |
West Ōzeki 8–7 |
West Ōzeki 8–7 |
West Ōzeki 8–7 |
West Ōzeki 10–5 |
| 1979 | West Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 9–6 |
East Ōzeki 10–5 |
East Ōzeki 9–6 |
| 1980 | East Ōzeki 7–8 |
West Ōzeki 10–5 |
East Ōzeki 8–7 |
East Ōzeki 9–6 |
East Ōzeki 9–6 |
East Ōzeki 8–7 |
| 1981 | East Ōzeki 2–5–retired |
x | x | x | x | x |
| Record given as win-loss-absent Championship Retired Demoted from makuuchi Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi |
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[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Sharnoff, Lorna (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-0283-x.
- ^ Futagoyama Oyakata Dies. Sumo Talk (2005-05-30). Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
- ^ Takanohana Kenshi rikishi Information (English). Sumo Reference. Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
